


In Which Harry Grabs Louis's Hand And Everything Is Awkward

by Wisely_Silent



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff I guess, I have no idea what to tag, Little bit of angst, M/M, rollercoaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 16:17:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13574244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wisely_Silent/pseuds/Wisely_Silent
Summary: Harry enjoyed amusement parks, but not rollercoasters.





	In Which Harry Grabs Louis's Hand And Everything Is Awkward

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in last September for my friend who asked for a story where Harry and Louis ride a rollercoaster together. I ended up writing two separate one-shots and this is the second one. These two are also the first stories I’ve ever written about this band and back then I didn’t know much.
> 
> This piece of fiction takes place around 2011.
> 
> Also, I’m not a native English speaker, so there’s a good chance that I have made some language-related mistakes.

Harry almost never thought that perhaps his life would be better without One Direction and all the fame. But now was one of those very rare moments. They were in an amusement park, all five of them, surrounded by guards and, naturally, fans with their smartphones out taking videos and pictures.

     So far Harry had had a great time, since amusement parks were great fun, but he did have one weakness regarding them: rollercoasters. He perhaps disliked them even more than Zayn did and that was saying something.

     Now though a rollercoaster was exactly where they were going. The other three had insisted whilst both Harry and Zayn had protested, but it was three against two, and their bodyguards refused to let them separate. Either everyone took a ride or nobody did. Therefore Harry had no choice but to follow the others and accept his faith.

     The park wasn’t overly crowded but the queues were still very long. Their group, however, cut the line, which Harry thought was rude and quite unfair to those who had waited for their turn for a long time. But it wasn’t up to him, so he kept quiet. The complaints soon turned to screams when people noticed just who were the ones overtaking them.

     When they got closer, Harry noticed that he was the last in line and that Zayn was in front of him. If Harry had to ride a rollercoaster, he was definitely not going to sit next to Zayn. He needed someone who was confident, like Liam. Or Niall who just laughed at everything. Or Louis who would probably make fun of Harry but still manage to make him feel better. And well... It just might be that Harry was a little bit in love with his best mate. But that was beside the point.

     Harry pushed past Zayn and ended up behind Niall, and then it was their turn among some other people to get in. There were two seats in every row, and Liam took the one free seat on the very front. Louis sat on the second row and Harry fully believed that Niall was going to sit next to him. But he didn’t. Instead he turned to wink at Harry and then moved to take a free seat further back next to a girl who was staring at them in obvious shock.

     Harry slid next to Louis with a smile. Niall clearly had realised that Harry wanted to stay as close to Louis as possible. Louis turned his head to grin at him.

     ‘Feeling nervous, Hazza?’ he teased.

     ‘Of course not,’ Harry denied and grabbed the safety bar tightly with both hands.

     ‘This isn’t even bad, we’re not going to be upside down,’ Louis informed him.

     That did make Harry feel a little better, but he still didn’t like it. ‘I wish I had your confidence,’ he muttered.

     ‘It’s all down to experience,’ Louis continued, and Harry could hear the smirk on his voice. ‘I was riding these things when you were still in diapers.’

     ‘Oi!’ Harry said indignantly, ‘you’re not that much older than me.’

     ‘Three years,’ said Louis.

     ‘No, it’s two years, one month and eight days to be exact,’ Harry corrected but then came the announcement that they were about to take off, so he shut up.

     Harry could see Louis rising a questioning eyebrow at him, causing Harry to blush a little. So what if he had calculated the exact duration between their births? That was perfectly normal. Right?

     Then they started to move and Harry tightened his hold on the metal bar on top of their legs. He fought against the urge to grab Louis’s hand. Fortunately at least the beginning of the ride was slow as they climbed upward.

     ‘What about you and Liam?’ Louis asked.

     ‘What?’ Harry asked, not understanding the question.

     ‘What’s the age difference between you and Liam?’ Louis elaborated.

    ‘Um...’ was all Harry could say as he tried to remember when exactly Liam’s birthday was. Late summer? Or was it September? No, that was Niall, right? Harry couldn’t remember. ‘About six months maybe?’ he tried.

     Louis studied his face carefully. ‘Me and Zayn?’

     Harry closed his eyes briefly. Zayn’s birthday was... In winter like his own, right? Yes, in January. But which day was it? ‘Er... a year and a month?’ Harry wondered, refusing to look at Louis.

     ‘Liam and Niall?’ Louis demanded next. 

     Harry had no idea, his brain wasn’t functioning properly. He was afraid that Louis had started to become suspicious. ‘I don’t remember, alright?’ he bit out. They were almost at the highest point of the ride. He swallowed nervously.

     Louis was quiet for a bit and then said, ‘So you remember only me and you.’ It wasn’t a question.

     ‘So?’ Harry said defensively. ‘You’re the one I’m closest to.’ He hoped that his face wasn’t too red. His cheeks were definitely burning, though.

     And then Harry felt his stomach drop as they plunged downward with high speed. God, how he hated that feeling. He pressed his eyes shut and just waited until it was over, listening to Louis’s whoops and hoping it would help. But of course after the first drop came another one and then another.

     Instinctively, without being even properly aware of it, his hand moved towards Louis’s hand and then jumped on top of it. Louis went instantly quiet, but Harry barely noticed it. He just clutched at Louis’s hand like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

     When they finally stopped, Harry slowly opened his eyes and saw Louis staring at him with a frown. Then Harry realised that his hand was still very much gripping Louis’s. He quickly withdrew it and flushed probably more than ever before in his life. He clambered on to the platform as quickly as he could without looking back.

     Soon they were walking away from the rollercoaster with their guards and ever circling fans. Harry was walking next to Niall in front and even though he couldn’t see him, he could feel Louis’s eyes boring into the back of his head. It was unnerving.

     ‘What’s wrong?’ Niall questioned worriedly, having undoubtedly noticed Harry’s downcast demeanour.

     ‘Nothing,’ Harry said way harsher than he meant to.

     ‘Okay, sorry,’ Niall said and cast Harry a confused look. ‘I’m hungry, I wonder when we’re going to eat.’ Then he left Harry’s side to ask one of their guards about food.

     Harry felt bad, because he had snapped at Niall with absolutely no reason. Well, he would apologise later, and he really needed to get a grip of himself. He was acting ridiculous.

     They did go to eat next to a restaurant which had a private area upstairs where they could eat in peace. Their group had gathered around several different size tables. Harry kept staring at Louis, who was eating in a different table straight opposite of Harry.

     Louis had his head bend against Zayn’s and they were whispering something quite intensely. The sight made Harry angrier than it should. Then suddenly Louis’s eyes rose to meet Harry’s but left a second later. Harry scowled and dropped his gaze to his half empty plate and stabbed it furiously with his fork, almost breaking its teeth.

     Had Harry grabbing Louis’s hand seriously been so terrible that Louis couldn’t even look at him anymore? It certainly seemed so, which made Harry feel even worse. God, he was being pathetic. Perhaps he should talk to someone before he went completely insane.

     He pushed his plate away, not feeling hungry anymore when he saw Liam stand with his empty glass to go and fill it. Harry rose and followed him.

     ‘Alright, mate?’ Liam asked quietly when he noticed Harry behind him.

     ‘Not really,’ Harry admitted with a small shrug.

     ‘Yeah, I figured,’ Liam said, ‘you’ve been miserable since the rollercoaster ride.’

     ‘I just don’t like them,’ Harry said, deliberately avoiding the real issue.

     Liam just hummed and filled his glass with water. ‘You do realise that he likes you back, right?’

     ‘What are you talking about?’ Harry asked with a frown.

     ‘Louis.’

     Harry stared at Liam incomprehensively for a few seconds. Then his eyes widened. Had he really been so obvious that _everyone_ had noticed? Did that also mean that Louis knew as well? No, it couldn’t. Surely Louis would’ve said something if he knew.

     ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Harry claimed but was unable to look Liam in the eyes.

     ‘You’ve always been a terrible liar, Harry,’ Liam said with some amusement in his voice, ‘you wear your heart in your sleeve.’

     Harry frowned and finally met Liam’s gaze. Those clever brown eyes told Harry everything he didn’t ask. ‘He has a girlfriend, Liam,’ he sighed.

     At that Liam actually laughed. ‘Yeah, and I have a cat.’

     Harry felt very confused. ‘You don’t have a cat,’ he said.

     ‘Exactly,’ Liam agreed.

     Harry still didn’t understand and he looked at Liam like he was the one losing his mind, not Harry.

     ‘Eleanor is not Louis’s girlfriend, she’s his beard,’ Liam said, taking pity at Harry.

     It still took a moment for Harry to finally understand was Liam was saying. ‘What, since when?’ he demanded incredulously.

     Liam shook his head. ‘Since forever,’ he said. ‘Haven’t you ever wondered why she’s nowhere to be seen if there’re no paps around?’

     Harry frowned. Now that he really thought about it, he realised that what Liam said was true. It was rather strange that none of them had never properly talked with her or even seen her all that often. Harry couldn’t even remember how her voice sounded like.

     He looked at Liam with wide, hopeful eyes. He felt overwhelmed by the thought that Louis maybe wasn’t in love with Eleanor after all.

     Liam smiled at him and threw his arm around Harry’s shoulders. ‘Cheer up,’ he said, ‘there’re still rides I want to try.’

     After they left the restaurant they took a few sedate rides, because nobody wanted to start feeling sick. Harry was feeling a lot calmer now that he had spoken with Liam and apologised to Niall, but he still avoided Louis, because he needed to think in peace. Even when they were driving the bumper cars and laughing all the while, Harry did his best to stay clear of Louis’s path.

     Their last ride was a weird-looking contraption which’s circular seats spun the passengers round and round until their heads were spinning. Harry took a carriage for himself and was surprised when Louis joined him.

     ‘You’ve been avoiding me,’ he said. Again it was not a question.

     ‘Yeah,’ Harry said truthfully.

     Louis seemed surprised that Harry actually admitted it, and his beautiful blue eyes searched Harry’s face. He didn’t ask why Harry had avoided him.

     ‘What did you discuss with Zayn during the meal?’ Harry asked.

     ‘What did you and Liam?’ Louis countered.

     Harry blushed and looked away. He saw Niall and Zayn in the next carriage and both, after noticing Harry looking at them, showed him thumbs up and grinned. Okay, so everyone did, in fact, know that Harry was in love with Louis. No questions about it now.

     When Harry turned his gaze back, Louis was still looking at him. ‘Zayn thinks that you have feelings for me,’ Louis said calmly.

     Instead answering, Harry said, ‘Liam told me that Eleanor is your beard.’ He hoped with all his heart that Louis wouldn’t deny it.

     Louis smiled at him. ‘Liam’s right,’ he said.

     Harry let out a shaky breath. ‘So is Zayn,’ he said and felt his heartbeat quicken.

     ‘Good,’ Louis said with a wider smile and took Harry’s hands in his. ‘Let’s spin.’

     And spin they did. Surprisingly Harry didn’t start feeling dizzy at all. Instead he laughed with Louis and they held hands the duration of the ride. Well alright, maybe he did feel a little dizzy, but it wasn’t caused by the ride – it was all Louis.

 

**The End**


End file.
